Category Archives: coronavirus

A modest presidential proposal

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

My blogging has been slow these past few weeks.  My apologies.  The reasons include starting up fall semester, finishing the new book, and dealing with multiple family health crises.  Hopefully we’ll be past all of these soon. In the meantime, … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, humor | 1 Comment

Do students prefer online or in-person classes this fall semester?

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

Are you seeing college students opting more for online or in-person classes this fall semester? I’m asking this question today because I’m hearing contradictory things from various reports and individual academics as they observe students choosing in real time.  On … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, teaching | 3 Comments

Fall semester toggle terms so far

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

Greetings from a warm and humid Virginian August weekend.  I have spent the past three days working at home on four different computers and wondering if I should rethink all work travel for the next season.  Today has a very … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 15 Comments

More toggle terms in play as fall classes draw nigh and Delta rages

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

On Friday I posted about the ways COVID-19 was worsening, and how higher education might respond as fall classes are about to start.  It was a rough post, one written in a mood of deep fear and anxiety.  I wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 10 Comments

The pandemic is getting worse. What does this mean for fall semester?

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

This week I’ve been focusing on climate change, between my book and the new IPCC report.  That was what I planned to work on, along with dealing with multiple family crises and fine-tuning my fall seminars. But COVID just won’t … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 12 Comments

Scenarios for the next COVID-19 variants: the SAGE document

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

What will COVID-19 develop into?  What variants should we expect? I’d like to continue my futures exploration of the pandemic today by focusing on a set of scenarios recently published by Britain’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).  It’s an … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, scenarios | 10 Comments

Delta COVID changes the pandemic struggle: a leaked CDC document and what it means for higher ed

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

Last night and this morning I worked hard on climate change and higher education, writing up two book chapters and a blog post.  But I’m not going to blog about that today, because the latest COVID developments are so urgent … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 4 Comments

American life expectancy declined, mostly due to COVID-19

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

For years I’ve used a certain phrase in presentations.  It came up when I was describing modern demographics.  I would explain how lifespans have increased in developed nations, and that more people will live longer, and then want on to … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, demographics, trends | 5 Comments

Heat domes, low-density campuses, and what we can do: two excellent readings

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

As I write this post two major crises are hitting the world in ways which bear closely on higher education’s future. Across the world very high, even extraordinarily steep temperatures are striking certain regions from Siberia to Canada, causing humanitarian … Continue reading →

Posted in climatechange, coronavirus | 6 Comments

Looking back to April 2020: losses, gains, and checking on my futuring work

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Bryan Alexander

A year ago this month I was engaged in trying to help higher education anticipate the next year as COVID roiled the world.  Today I’d like to check back and see how I did. (“A year ago”: just writing that … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 2 Comments